Opinion
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OpinionAnn Frances Cooney: Potential impact of the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill
The draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill was announced in the King’s Speech in July. The new Labour government confirmed that the draft bill delivers its manifesto commitments to enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for ethnic minorities and disabled people, and to introduce ...
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OpinionGeorgina Cameron: How can employers create a culture of fun?
As a B Corp, looking after the Lily’s Kitchen team is hugely important to us. Having fair and robust HR policies to support our employees is only part of the equation. We strive to enable and empower everyone on our team so that they feel able to work to the ...
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OpinionDebbie Coyne: Managing Euro 2024 and staff leave
With Euro 2024 football fever sweeping the country, employers are once again facing the age-old conundrum of balancing productivity and business operations with giving their staff the chance to watch their nation at a major summer tournament.Legally, employers are not obliged to provide time off for employees to watch Euro ...
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OpinionConfessions of a benefits manager: Candid has problems getting an invoice paid
You might remember we recently implemented a new recognition platform. Early on, the supplier was organised enough to send a sample invoice so we could set up any necessary purchase orders. Well, you do not keep dogs and bark yourself, so I gave that task to my colleague Lazy Susan. ...
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OpinionSamantha Dickinson: How to build and support a healthy workforce
Stress is an inevitable part of life. In the workplace it can build resilience, pushing individuals to adapt and perform under pressure, which leads to personal growth. However, when stress becomes overwhelming it leads to decreased productivity, burnout and debilitating health problems. Recognising and managing employee stress levels is crucial ...
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OpinionConfessions of a benefits manager: Candid runs manager training on incentives
I don't want to sound like a shirker, but it really is not my job to manage the incentive programme. Yes, bonuses fall under total reward, but there is a separate incentives team headed up by Iris who purportedly do all that. And they do. Well as far as managing ...
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OpinionConfessions of a benefits manager: Candid works on a new recognition platform
Does recognition fall under compensation or benefits? In my organisation, it sits in compensation, so I thought I was safe from getting involved in the new platform. I have been watching with interest as communications go out promising a new, exciting platform in a matter of weeks.I should have known ...
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OpinionMirit Ehrenstein and Louise Mason: Changes to remuneration, pay transparency and diversity metrics in 2023
The end of 2023 saw considerable changes to regulation and guidance around many employment issues, including remuneration, pay transparency and diversity metrics.The bonus cap has been removed. This means that UK banks that had to limit variable remuneration to 200% of fixed pay are now permitted to pay bonuses at ...
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OpinionChris Ronald: How employees want to be supported this Christmas and beyond
It has been a tough year for employees. Just as we got through Covid, we were then faced with another challenge:the cost-of-living crisis. And unfortunately, there is little sign of it easing as we edge closer to 2024. This time of year is already tough, with the expense of Christmas ...
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OpinionAdrian Crawford: Bankers’ bonuses uncapped
The bankers’ bonus cap has been scrapped in the UK from 31 October 2023 as a post-Brexit measure reportedly designed to liberalise City pay and boost the competitiveness of the UK as a financial centre.First introduced by the European Union in 2014 in response to the 2008 financial crisis, the ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Navigating Christmas celebrations in 2022
Christmas party season is well and truly underway. With so many celebrations cancelled over the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year, many are relishing the opportunity to celebrate with friends, family and colleagues. But, given the volatile economic climate we are currently living in, and the ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: An own goal or winning formula?
Last Sunday saw the Fifa World Cup 2022 kick off in Qatar. With many matches scheduled to take place during the working day, this year’s tournament poses something of a challenge for employers.According to research published by bookmaker Paddy Power last week, 47% of the 2,002 football fans surveyed said ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should Elon Musk retain home working at Twitter?
Elon Musk has certainly made an impression – and headlines – during his first few weeks as owner of Twitter. After letting approximately half of the workforce go, this week he announced that employees must return to the office to work if they are able to do so. Those who ...
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OpinionDr Kerrie Unsworth: Personalised employee experiences are key to motivation
What motivates people to work hard? We used to think it was money, but most of us now realise that this is not always the case. Is it flexibility to choose how and where they work? Is it a fun working environment with free ice-cream and beanbags? All of these?After ...
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OpinionAndrea London: Attitude change needed to address ageism at work
With hybrid working models quickly becoming 'the norm' and the constant requirement instead for online productivity, virtual working and remote meetings or presentations, is our older generation cognisant of technological advances, and are they able to keep up?We seem to be noting an increased polarisation of the labour market in ...
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OpinionDanielle Ayres: Communication is key when considering a four-day week
As news circulates of the four-day working week trial set to get underway in the UK in the second half of this year, co-ordinated by 4 Day Week Global, both employees and employers alike are starting to wonder whether this would work practically for them.There are multiple factors to look ...
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OpinionElena Visser: The argument for giving employees growth shares
The benefits of giving employees a stake in the business by way of equity participation are well rehearsed.Often the decision comes down to a choice between allocating shares upfront, effectively making the employee a day-one shareholder, versus granting them a tax-efficient enterprise management incentive (or EMI) share option.Making employees a ...
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OpinionClare Kelliher: The pandemic has prompted employers to review their benefits strategies
The experiences of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: business disruption, furloughed employees and extended, enforced working from home, have changed the employment relationship.Our research at Cranfield School of Management during the pandemic found that the physical distancing of working from home sometimes led to psychological distancing, too.Maintaining the connection became harder ...
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OpinionChris Roberts: Employee feedback is crucial for engagement and motivation
At ClickThrough Marketing we have always made staff engagement a priority but in the last 18 months, we’ve really stepped up our efforts to drive motivation. We have adopted hybrid and flexible working to allow people to work from wherever they feel most productive and, at the moment, ultimately safe. ...
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OpinionDr Zofia Bajorek: Good work holds key to mitigating the 'Great Resignation'
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of discussion about the ‘great resignation’: the idea that employees are leaving their jobs at unprecedented rates.The post-Covid labour market suggests that there are a high number of vacancies but not enough staff to fill them, and so workplaces need ...